EU Council President says Brexit should be extended

EUROPEAN COUNCIL President Donald Tusk has recommended the EU gives the UK a further extension on Brexit after two key votes in the Commons last night.

After Mr Johnson’s deal was approved but his timetable for getting legislation through rejected, Mr Tusk tweeted: “Following PM @BorisJohnson’s decision to pause the process of ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, and in order to avoid a no-deal #Brexit, I will recommend the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension. For this I will propose a written procedure.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Tusk reassured MPs that a Brexit extension was still on the table as they prepared for a Commons showdown.

French President Emmanuel Macron and EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker had applied pressure on MPs with hints that Mr Johnson’s deal is the last and that any further delay may not be granted.

But European Council president Mr Tusk said the latest request for an extension to Article 50 should be treated “in all seriousness” as he consults EU leaders over the requested delay and MPs prepare to debate the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB).

“It is obvious that the result of these consultations will very much depend on what the British Parliament decides, or doesn’t decide,” he said in a speech at the council.

“We should be ready for every scenario. But one thing must be clear: as I said to Prime Minister Johnson on Saturday, a no-deal Brexit will never be our decision.”

The new Brexit deal must also win backing from the European Parliament but its Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, suggested “all problems faced by EU27 nationals in the UK need to be solved” first. His demands include no citizens being deported from Britain if they miss the deadline for settled status in order to prevent “another Windrush scandal”.

As his time in the top job comes to a close, Mr Juncker said it has “pained” him to spend so much time dealing with Brexit, which he described as “a waste of time and a waste of energy”.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier also told the European Parliament that “this is the only possible agreement”, signalling it is the last deal any Prime Minister can broker.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson continues to believe the UK should leave the EU on October 31 and an extension beyond this month would be “corrosive”.

His official spokesman said: “Where we are now as a result of the actions of Parliament is that the EU will have to consider the request from Parliament that was conveyed to it at the weekend.”